WEST DEPTFORD — Matt Jacobsen thought curveball, got a curveball and did what any good hitter would do with a curveball — hit it right back up the middle.

Jacobsen’s bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 11th was the difference as the Hightstown Post 148 American Legion baseball team outlasted Hopewell Post 339, 3-2, Sunday in the New Jersey American Legion District 4 Tournament at Union Field.

Hightstown will now take on West Deptford at 4 p.m., Monday in another elimination game.

“In a situation like that I’m hoping first just to hit something deep enough to get the run in,” Jacobsen said. “He threw me a curveball the pitch before, so I was thinking curveball again. And that’s what I got.”

Jacobsen’s hit, which scored Austin Kurey with the winning run, was Hightstown’s fourth of the inning, and it also had a walk. So what took so long to score?

“Oh man,” manager Doug Herrin said. “That was some game. We became a team today. This was a really tough win.”

Post 148 led, 1-0, when it scored in the bottom of the first inning, and then saw Hopewell score two in the top of the eighth for a 2-1 lead. Kurey, who made two great catches in right field, singled in the tying run in the ninth.

Hightstown’s winning rally started when Max Kutler beat out a bunt to open the 11th.
Kurey, the Mercer County American Legion League leader in RBI, looked to have another one when he doubled to center.

Hopewell’s Harry Giordano made a great throw to shortstop Brodie Catherine who made another great throw home to get Kutler at the plate.

Hopewell intentionally walked Matt Chipego for the second straight time, but this time Matt DeAngelis foiled the plan when he singled to left to load the bases.

That brought up Jacobsen.

“Matt was pressing a little,” Herrin said. “He didn’t want to let us down. And he certainly didn’t.

“But all the credit in the world to Jimmy McNamara and that Hopewell team. They didn’t know they were in the tournament until the last minute. They came out and played hard, played really well. Give them a lot of credit. But give us credit, too.”

Hopewell, which was an emergency fill-in when Ocean County could not field a representative, lost both of its games here, 3-2, to two MCALL foes. Post 339 lost to Broad St. Park, Saturday.